Gun-mounting for submarines.



L. N. D. MIXSELL & J. P. MADDEN.

GUN MOUNTING FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. 10, 1915.

Patented Oct. 3,1916.

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L. N. D. MIXSELL & J. P. MADDEN.

GUN MOUNTING FOR SUBMAHINES.

APPLICATHJN FILED DEC 10. 1915.

Patented Oct 3,1916.

3 SHCETS-SHEET 2 L. N. D.'IVHXSELL & J. P. MADDEN.

GUN MOUNTING FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. I0, I915.

1 200,21 5. Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

EITTE srarns PATENT ornron.

LEIGHTON N. D. MIXSELL AND JAMES P. MADDEN, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYL-VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GUNMOUNTING FOR SUBMARINES.

ea ers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

Application filed December 10, 1915. Serial No. 66,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEIGHTON N. D. MIXSELL and learns P. MADDEN,citizen of the United States and subject of the King of England,respectively, residing at Bethlehem, Northampton county, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGun-Mountings for Submarines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gun mountings and more particularly tomountings for dis structure decks; Fig. 2 is a planjof the same; andFig; 3 is an elevation of the mechanism looking toward the breech of thegun.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the main shell or deck of theboat and 11 the superstructure provided over the main deck to form achamber within which the gun may be housed when not in use, as when theboat is submerged. The superstructure 11 is provided with an opening 12preferably of rectangular shape and of the minimum size permitting themovement of the gun therethrough. It will be understood that the opening12will be provided with a suitable cover to exclude water when the boatis submerged. Brackets 13 are secured to the under side of thesuperstructure deck 11 at one end of the opening 12 and a substantiallyV-shaped' member or arm 14: is pivoted to the brackets 13. The arm 1 1is provided at 15 with a socket for the gun pivot 16, the axis of thegun pivot being at an obtuse angle to the plane of the arm 14. Thedetails of the gun and the pointing and train ing mechanism thereof maybe of any suitable construction and as they form no part of the presentinvention a description thereof is omitted. The gun 17 has the usualtrunnion connection with the supporting plvot l6 and is adapted to swingfrom the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to the posrtron shown indotted lines at 18 when it is desired to house the gun. It will beunderstood'that the gun will be capable of being elevated from the fullline position, Fig. 1, to the various required firing angles. Seats 19and 20 are pivotally mounted on the gun pivot 16 at 19 and 20,respectively, and, as will be readily seen from Fig. 2, the seats may befolded to a substantially vertical position to permit the gun to passthrough the opening 12. One of the seats is for the gun pointer and theother for the gun trainer, and each is provided with a foot rest 21.

A substantially A-shaped frame or link member 22 has its upper endtrunnioned to the member 14 on opposite sides of the socket for the gunpivot 16, as indicated at 23 in Fig. 8. The lower end of the frame 22carries rollers 24 and 25 which run in guides 26 and 27, respectively,secured to the main deck 10. As will be seen from Fig. 3, the

. guides 26 and 27 are widely spaced apart to give substantial supportto the gun.

From Fig. 1 it will be seen that by moving the lower end of the frame 22along the guides 26 and 27 the member 1 1 will be raised and lowered.When the gun is in the firing position, as shown in full lines in Fig.1, the lower end of the frame 22 is on the opposite side of the axis ofthe gun pivot 16 from the pivots of the brackets 13 and thus there canbe no tendency for the gun mounting to collapse when the gun is fired.For the purpose of moving the lower end of the frame 22, any suitablemechanism may be provided and there is illustrated in the drawings acylinder 28 secured to the deck 10 and having a piston 29 which isconnected with the frame 22, at the point 30, by means of the rod 31. Byadmitting air or other pressure fluid tothe cylinder 28, the piston 29may be actuated to move the lower end of the frame 22. In Fig. 1 theextreme positions of the frame 22 are shown, the full line positionindicating the firing position of the gun and the dotted line positionindicating the housed position of the gun. It will be understood thatbefore the gun is housed it must be depressed to the angle indicated indotted lines at 18, as described hereinabove.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gun mounting, the combination of an arm to which the gun ispivoted, means, pivotally connecting said arm with a support so that thearm is adapted to swing in a vertical plane, a frame pivotallyconnectedwith said arm adjacent the gun pivot, fixed guides for the lower end of said frame, and means connected with the lower end of saidframe and adapted to move the latter in said guides to raise and lowersaid arm.

2. I11 a gun mounting, the combination of an arm provided at one endwith a socket for the gun pivot, means pivotally connecting the oppositeend of said arm with a support so that the arm is adapted to swing in avertical plane, a frame pivoted to said arm on opposite sides of saidsocket, fixed guides for the lower end of said frame, and meansconnected with the lower end of said frame and adapted to move thelatter in said guides to raise and lower said arm. 3. In a gun mounting,the combination of an arm provided at one end with a socket for the gunpivot and at its other end with spaced members, means pivotallyconnecting said members with a support so that the arm is adapted toswing in a vertical plane, a substantially A-shaped frame having one endpivoted on opposite sides of said socket, fixed guides for the lower endof said frame, arranged below the connection between said members andsaid support, and means connected with said frame and adapted to movethe same in said guides to raise and lower said arm.

4. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand the superstructure deck arranged thereabove and forming a gunchamber, brackets on the under side of the superstructure deck, fixedguides on the main deck, a substantially V- shaped member having itsarms pivoted to said brackets and having at its opposite end a socketfor the gun pivot, a substantially A-shaped frame having one end pivotedto said member on opposite sides of said socket, the opposite end ofsaid frame cooperating with said guides, and means for moving said framein said guides toraise and lower said member.

5. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand the superstructure deck, the latter having an opening through whichthe gun is adapted to pass, of an arm having spreading members and asocket for the gun pivot brackets secured on the underside of thesuperstructure deck and pivotallyconnected with said spreading members,one or more guides on the main deck, a member having one end pivoted tosaid arm and its other end movable in said guide or guides, and meansconnected with said member and adapted to move the same to raise orlower said arm.

6. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand the superstructure deck, the latter having an opening through whichthe gun is adapted to pass, of an arm having spreading members and asocket for the gun pivot, the axis of the gun pivot making an obtuseangle with the plane of said arm, brackets secured on the under side ofthe superstructure deck and pivotally connected with said spreadingmembers, one or more guides on the main deck, a member having one endpiv oted to said arm adjacent said socket and its other: end movable insaid guide or guides, and means connected with said member and adaptedto move the same to raise or lower said arm.

7. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand superstructure deck, the latter having an opening through which thegun is adapted to. pass, of a substantially V-shaped arm having at itsnarrow end a socket for the gun pivot, brackets secured below thesuperstructure deck and pivotally connected with the spreading membersof said arm, parallel guides secured on the main deck, a frame havingone end trunnioned to said arm on opposite sides of said socket, theaxis of the tru-nnions being parallel with the axis of the pivots ofsaid brackets, and the other end of said frame cooperating with saidguides, and means for moving said frame in said guides. I

S. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand superstructure deck, the latter having a restricted opening throughwhich the gun is adapted to pass, of an arm having one end pivoted belowthe superstructure deck and adapted to swing through said opening, a gunpivot carried by said arm, a member pivoted to said arm and having asliding connection with the main deck, means for moving said member, andone or more .seats pivot-ally mounted on said gun pivot and normallypreventing movement of the gun through said opening but adapted to befolded to a position to move with the gun through the opening. 7

9. In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the main deckand superstructure deok, the latter having an opening through which thegun is adapted to pass, an arm mounted on a fixed pivot below thesuperstructure deckand adapted to swing vertically through said opening,a pivot mounted on the swinging end of said arm, a member having one endpivoted to the swinging end of said arm and the other end slidable alongthe main deck to a position on the opposite side of the aXis of said gunpivot from said fixed pivot when the gun is in firing position, andmeans for moving said member.

10. In a gun mounting for submarines the combination With the main deckand superstructure deck, the latter having an opening through which thegun is adapted to move to and from the housed position below thesuperstructure deck, of a pair of supporting members for the gun pivotedtogether, one of said members having a fixed pivotal connection belowthe superstructure deck the other of said members being arranged toslide substantially parallel with the main deck, and means for s0sliding the last mentioned member.

1l.' In a gun mounting for submarines, the combination with the maindeck and the superstructure deck, the latter having an opening for thepassage of the gun, of supporting means for the gun having a pivotalconnection with the superstructure deck and a sliding connection withthe main deck whereby the gun may be swung from a position above thesuperstructure deck to a position between the decks.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures.

LEIGHTON N. D. MIXSELL. JAMES P. MADDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

